Hi there,
I am new, and I apologize in advance for breaking any conventions in bloggery/forum posts, etc. I applied to two PhD programs in Clinical Psychology, both of which are very competitive. I am in an awkward position- one part of me "feels" I have what it takes to be an outstanding Clinical Scientist. The other side of me is discouraged. I do not have a great GPA nor GRE scores to make up for it-- so I decided upon submitting my applications that I probably will not hear back.
... And indeed, I have not.
Profile:
GPA: 3.29 (Institution within the Top 10 - US National University Ranking) Dean’s List: Fall 2011, Spring 2013
GRE: Q/V/W : 152/158/4.0
3 excellent letters of recommendation (including 1 from a PI I applied to work with)
6 research posters
1 first author & oral presentation at a leading scientific conference in the field of behavioral medicine
1 publication in a leading Obesity journal
5 years research experience combined (undergraduate + post-baccalaureate)
B.A. Psychology, Biological Bases of Behavior (concentration) Spanish (minor) Fluent in 3 languages, 2 graduate-level classes
-1 Undergraduate honors Thesis (I was overzealous in this project as an undergraduate student-- I took on too much and was sleep deprived during my last semester- Alas, the project was not where it needed to be in order to defend it. I am now working on an update of this project with my former mentor, and we plan to publish!)
Very brief description of interests: I want to go to grad school so I can conduct interdisciplinary research and obtain clinical experience in the fields of stress/depression, eating disorders, obesity, addiction, and related psychopathology. I am so eager to contribute to the academic community and can see myself teaching, generating and disseminating clinical science, while gaining clinical skills and learning advanced statistical techniques for identifying predictors of treatment efficacy and multi-factorial processes through which complex conditions can worsen or improve.
I am currently working at the Medical Center /Department of Psychiatry of my undergraduate institution, in a slightly different field than my undergraduate pursuits. I continue to be engaged in scientific inquiry, and I just know that this is the field I want to be in. when I look at my profile, I just cannot see how any admissions committee would even pick up the application. I emailed 2 PI's at each institution that I applied to, and I heard back from each when I first wrote them. They have not written back, and I am truly embarrassed that my PI recommended me and I wasn't even considered for an interview. (It looks like all invitations have been extended in both institutions).
Any advice, encouragement, perspective, or opinions on my situation would be greatly appreciated. I think that my wonderful and over-sharing coworkers have heard enough of me, and so has my partner. Should I give up? Is it ridiculous for me to think that I have a chance? I just want to go to grad school and work with a mentor that is happy to have me and work with me. That's what I had in undergrad and I wish I could just extend that to gradschool.
Sorry. I had to vent. the waiting game is eating me up. I welcome your thoughts/ideas -- please do not hesitate to be straight forward and honest.
ps: I might add that I took a Medical Leave of Absence due to psychological/medical reasons in the middle of my undergraduate career. I returned after 1 year of treatment and was successful; I was asked to become a student ambassador for the Office of Student Returns, which was pretty sweet. In my applications I had to explain (NOT in my SOP, but in a separate document) what happened, and I did it in a brief, earnest and mature way. I can explain in more detail if needed.

Your grades may be low but it is not impossible. I did it and so can you. Of course your chances are low, of course it is hard but I had the lowest stats you could possibly imagine and now I am a first year PT student. This thread is to inspire applicants to chase their dream of becoming Physical Therapist no matter what!

I took my GRE last week and got a 149-Q and 157-V.
I went through the entire ETS GRE book, and scored consistently around a 312 on the power prep tests. I struggle with test anxiety, and knew I was moderately underprepared for math, but did not expect to perform as low as I did. I am scheduling to retake it in 2 months and really need a 320 for my target school! My GPA is a 3.98, and I have extensive research experience so this test is the only thing getting in the way of my dream school.
If you have improved your GRE the second time taking it, can you post your scores from the 1st and 2nd time, and the amount of time/method you used to improve?
I need motivation by hearing from people who have made this possible!